Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-05-06


position of great Importance and pros
perity to one of comparative degrade
ton. Few persons of the present day
have an adequate idea of the extent to
which tavern-life influenced thought !
and manners fifty, one hundred, or two
hundred years ago. Then each man
had his tavern, much as we now
have our clubs and reading-roonis;
there he nightly met his friends, heard
the high priced London newspapers
read aloud, and discussed the political
and business topics of the time. Dick
ems, in Barnaby Ridge, has well
sketched the select village company
which for many years had met nightly
at the old Maypole to tipple and debate.
Ale was the universal beverage on these
occasions; and in days when there were
no colossal breweries at Burton, Pom
ford, or elsewhere, the fame of any
tavern was great or small according to
the skill of the landlord or his serv-
ants in producing this beverage. Inns,
too, formed the s.opping-places OF the
many coaches of a hundred years ago,
and at them were kept the numerous
horses then required for the traffic. In
the old coachingdays, indeed, many Il
small town orvillage on any main road
consisted largely or chiefly of inns;
and supplying the necessaries for the
passing traffic may be said to
have formed the local industry by
which the inhabitants of such places
lived. Thus the inns of olden times
combined to large extent within
themselves the various uses to which
modern clubs, reading-rooms, insti-
tutes, railway stations, eating-houses,
hotels, public-houses, livery stables,
Then they were the centers rouno
which most events of the time revolved;
now they are little more than tipplirg-
houses for the lower classes.
The various devices used as signs are
of infinite variety and varying degrees
of interest, from the heads, or por-
traits of modern political, naval or
military celebrities, to such signs as the
Rose and Crown, the Fleur-de-Lys, the
Spread Eagle, the Cross Keys, our
numerous Arms, Enthusiastically colored
animals of all kinds, and many other
similar devices. Signs of the former
kind require little or no explanation;
they are usually modern and I'M
interesting vulgarisms, and their
meaning are self-apparent. With
-, af ha hn,
ever, the case is generally far diff
ferent, and search for their original
significance. often much obscured by
the mists of antiquity, is usually
an interesting one. AS rule,
such signs will be found to
have been derived from the armorial
bearings of some sovereign, noble OIL
other historical parsonage.
From the quaint and almost forgot.
ten science of heraldry, indeed, has
been derived large majority of oui
oldest and most interesting signs. This
fact need cause no surprise when it il
remembered that in former days every
one was familiar with this so-callet
''science," The incomprehensible jar
gon, spoken of as "blazon" by heraldit
writer's, and the various devices appear
ing on all modern coats of arms, though
little more nowadays than grotesqu'
hieroglyphics to most. were once reaC
and perfectly understood even by thu
common people. A knowledge
of heraldry was once, prob
ably, as general as a knowledge
of the "three Rs is now. 1t was
no wonder, therefore, that the ide;
early suggested itself to the minds o
tradesmen and others to use their owl
coats of arms-when they had any-o
those of the. great trade guild to which
they belonged, or those of their land
lord, or some patron, as signs. Thi
convenient custom, once established
would be sure to be largely followed
there can, indeed, be no question tina
in this way arose the custom of namin,
houses the "So-and-so Arms" AT tn
present time, the custom itself remains
though its origin has been almost en-
tirely lost sight Of Many inns have il
consequence come to be known as tn
Arms of persons, trades, places, AM
} things which never did, and neve
could, bear coat of arms. Sue
} signs, for instance, as the Lii
liput Arms the Cricketers' Arms
and the Libra Arms. are moder
) and meaningless absurdities. Clearl
the origin of the Kings Arms ha
: never occurred to the simple clodhor
per of whom it is related that he one
| walked many miles to see King Georg
, w. on one of his journeys, and VIII
came home greatly disappointed; fo
} he found the King had arms like othe
, men, while he had always understoo
, that His Majesty's right arm was
; lion, and his left unicorn. Arms {
various kinds form large proportio
of our modern signs, often as much q
: ten per cent, and sometimes doubl
: that in particular districts. AS gel